Stephenson, the 25-year-old right-hander, went four innings and allowed three runs on three hits. He struck out four.
The Enquirer/John Fay

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Scott Schebler (43) leaps up for a home run ball off the bat Chicago White Sox second baseman Yoan Moncada (10) in the third inning during an interleague baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, July 4, 2018, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. (Photo: Kareem Elgazzar)

NEW YORK – Joey Votto expects to play Friday when the Reds open a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park.

Votto missed two straight games for the first time since June of 2016 – the aftereffects of a hit-by-pitch Saturday in Washington.

"It's better," Votto said. "I hope to play. Playing every day is important."

That is one of the ultimate truism is baseball. If you can keep your best players healthy, it goes a long way toward a productive season for the ballclub in general.

This season was ruined for the Reds over the first 18 games. That was largely because Eugenio Suarez and Scott Schebler went on the disabled list the same day. The Reds went 1-9 with Schebler on the DL and 3-13 with Suarez on the DL.

It's difficult for even the best teams to overcome injuries to their best players.

"All you have to do is look at the Dodgers," Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley said. "They were awful when we played them. Having Justin Turner out made all the difference."

The Reds swept the Dodgers in a four-game series. The Dodgers were 16-24 at that point. They are 47-28 since and back in the hunt.

Which bring us back to the Reds. The team is hurting right now. The Reds started the year with a four-man outfield rotation. Only one of the four (Billy Hamilton) is on the active roster, and only one of the three out is returning. Adam Duvall was traded at the deadline. Jesse Winker suffered a season-ending shoulder injury July 23. Earlier in July, Schebler suffered a shoulder injury that he still hasn't returned from.

The Reds are 7-12 since Schebler's injury. He won't be back until probably September. The 2-7 road trip that ended Wednesday gives you an idea of how much the team is struggling.

The fact that Winker and Schebler are both left-handed hitters make the lineup harder to balance.

“For most teams to be productive, you need your left-handed hitters to do something,” Reds manager Jim Riggleman said. “You face a lot of right-handed pitching. We’ve had some trouble with left-handed hitting. We pose a problem for with left-handed hitters. That’s where Winker and Schebler were really complementing Scooter (Gennett) and Joey (Votto).

Riggleman has been using a mix of Mason Williams, Phillip Ervin, Brandon Dixon and Preston Tucker to fill the corner outfield spots.

If one of two of them don't heat up, the Reds could be looking at a long last seven weeks of the season. Riggleman was asked after Wednesday's loss if it would be good to get home.

"I love being at home, that’s for sure," Riggleman said. "But you’re going to play the same amount home and away. You’ve got to win ballgames on the road, and we did not have a good road trip. Going home doesn’t solve your problems. You’ve got to play well when you get home.”